Career Opportunities

The Penn State Harrisburg English program is a broad-based program for the student who desires to study English in depth. In the General English option, the study of language, literature, and writing provides a foundation upon which many occupational skills can be developed. Some students start their careers as writers and editors, while others develop analytical skills that take them to positions in business, industry, and government.

The Secondary Education English option will prepare students to teach English and the Humanities in secondary schools grades 7 to 12. English and Humanities teachers will be required to study and instruct the history and study of language, English, American and world literature, written and oral composition, drama, speech communications, literary criticism, techniques of research in the field of English, writing, and relationships of English to other fields of knowledge.

Job Title

Because employment of English majors is spread among a variety of occupations, graduates represent many job titles. The following list provides some of the reported occupational titles for bachelor’s degree English graduates in the United States: Advertising Manager, Account Executive, Author, Communication Specialist, Copy Editor, Copywriter, Corporate Communications Specialist, Editor, Ghostwriter, Intercultural Communication Specialist, Management Supervisor, Market Research Manager, Media Director, Press Secretary, Production Manager, Public Information Officer, Public Relations Manager, Sales Associate, News Writer, Sales Representative, Spokesperson, Staff Writer, Teacher, and Writer.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for English majors is good. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, projected change in employment in the top 10 occupations that employ English or Liberal Arts majors is expected to increase 10% or about as fast as the average for all occupations between 2006-2016.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities for teachers over the next 10 years are expected to be excellent. In fact, teachers at the secondary and college levels are listed among the 10 occupations with the largest projected wage and salary growth through 2016.